temple-relief
- Museum number
- 1816,0610.46.a
- Title
- Series: The Parthenon Sculptures
- Description
-
Marble relief (Block I) from the West frieze of the Parthenon. The frieze shows the procession of the Panathenaic festival, the commemoration of the birthday of the goddess Athena.
The West frieze comprises sixteen Blocks (counting the corner Blocks as I and XVI). It shows horsemen in scenes of preparation for the cavalcades of the North and South friezes. Each Block contains a scene framed within its four sides. The picture does not spill over onto adjacent Blocks as it does in the cavalcades of the long sides of the building. Lord Elgin removed Blocks I and II only and the remaining fourteen Blocks stayed on the building until they were brought down in 1993 as part of the Greek campaign of restoration of the Acropolis monuments. Elgin commissioned casts of the Blocks that he did not remove and these are now a better record of their original condition than the sculptures are themselves after two hundred years of continuous weathering. These casts are displayed in the north side gallery of the Parthenon Gallery, 18a.
At the corner of the West frieze a marshal stands with his head turned back towards the advancing riders. He is dressed in himation. This relief is the corner-stone of Block XLVII from the North frieze and Block I on the West frieze of the Parthenon.
- Production date
- 438BC-432BC
- Curator's comments
- This block is also North Frieze, Block XLVII. This is treated as a separate record (1816,0610.46.b).
- Location
- On display (G18)
- Exhibition history
-
2015, 26 Mar-5 Jul, The British Museum, Defining Beauty: the body in ancient Greek art.
- Acquisition date
- 1816
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1816,0610.46.a
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: West Frieze, Block I